Search - Bach, Feltsman :: Goldberg Variations

An Excellent interpretation

12/09/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vladimir Feltsman approaches Bach fearlessly and with incredible insight. After seeing him perform the Goldberg Variations in Aspen, and then listening to this performance, I am left awestruck. He allows plenty of room for the myriad of Bach voices, whether in the left or right hand, and gives meditative wings to the most complex passages. He does something I believe no other classical pianists have done with Bach, and that is to let Bach's music speak for itself, layer after layer, note after note. The tone quality and nuance he achieves are exceptional! Bravo, Vladimir! I rank this performance right up there with Christophe Rousset's on the harpsichord."

An inspired Feltsman in his element

Alex Serrano | Perrysburg, Ohio United States | 02/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vladimir Feltsman's career has been hindered first by the soviet government who would not allow him to play in the west and then when he finaly did break through, music labels did their best to have him record russian romantic repertoire which he never found as close to his heart as the works of beethoven and bach. Thus, he only recently has begun a concert career under his own terms.
And this uncompromising musicianship is what comes first as in this awe-inspiring live recording of the bach goldberg variations. It is not only the virtuosity and imagination which are supreme here, but also the absolute identification which the music which allow him to perform at this level of inspiration. Some listeners will be intrigued by Feltsman's rearanging of some of the voices for the repeats, but here Feltsman is not only showing us the potential of the music but also following performance practices with which Bach was fully identified. The end result may well be one of the most amazing displays of absolute understanding and virtuosity, and also a rare glimpse of an artist at the top of his powers making music sound fresh. This event could have only been captured live - and this is hardly beleivable given the excellent sound and balance recorded here. As any other reviewer for this disc, how i wish i could have been there..."

The most interesting Goldbergs

Alex Serrano | 06/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is wonderful. It is my favorite version of the Goldberg Variations and my favorite Feltsman recording. The live performance is captured beautifully.A criticism that I've read about Vladimir Feltsman's Bach is that it contains too much Feltsman. But aren't his unique methods of improvisation in the repeats what Bach might have wanted, what he left available for the artist's interpretation? To repeat, with one's own musical ideas?Vladimir Feltsman's work is always interesting and identifiable. There may be Goldbergs played with more speed elsewhere, but no one plays them with more feeling. Consider the where and when and what of this concert -- Bach in Moscow, finally. The Quodlibet *feels* proud. How I would have loved to have seen Feltsman's face during this performance!"